by Arden Lunay

For someone who can hardly sit through the songs of Pitch Perfect, the idea of sitting through two hours of an A cappella group on a Sunday night was less than ideal. Despite that, I agreed to a free ticket to go the Schuster Center with my friend to see Straight No Chaser on their One Shot tour, and it exceeded my expectations. The group quickly set themselves apart from a stereotypical A cappella group. A dramatic panoramic of the Earth played on a projection screen accompanied by a Morgan Freeman style voice introducing the group and their humble beginnings: students at Indiana University in 1996 trying to get attention from girls.

Straight No Chaser filled the large stage with their ten members, choreographed dance moves, and perfect melodies. In between most songs, members would comically explain the group’s history, life in a tour bus, or how big of Disney fans they all are. Their unique covers and original songs were entertaining enough to keep the entire crowd’s attention for the entire two-hour performance. I never found myself wishing a song would be done, as I often do in musicals or other formal concerts. The entire audience couldn’t help but laugh during songs like one set to the tune of songs from The Nutcracker, explaining how terrible it is that they have to go see The Nutcracker every year, or their interpretation of 12 Days of Christmas that incorporated a nod to Hanukkah set to the tune of Africa by Toto.

Straight No Chaser is the perfect start to the holiday season. Their unique, hilarious songs are sure to entertain the entire family, even those skeptical of music without instruments.